After seven years of being a "simp," she's reborn and no longer pursuing the aloof sc

Chapter One

The night was as dark as ink. Inside the hospital, I looked at my son lying in the emergency room with mixed feelings.

Gu Jinhuai, the husband, was caught up in a phone call, and the caller was none other than his first love, his beloved Song Yuan.

Soon, after the other person said something, the man's worry and tension became visibly apparent.

I sensed a wavering in the man's heart, so I grabbed his sleeve and pleaded, "Jinhuai, don't go."

Gu Jinhuai looked at me coldly, ruthlessly shook off my hand, and uttered a few words through his thin lips: "She needs me."

In an instant, my heart was shattered; this relationship was doomed to a tragic end from the very beginning.

But I refused to accept my fate and tried every means to be with him. I thought that he would change after we got married, especially now that we have a son. But all of this was just wishful thinking on my part.

Watching helplessly as the man was about to leave, I cried out weakly, "Gu Jinhuai, your son is still in the emergency room. If you dare to leave, we're getting a divorce."

The man suddenly stopped, looked at me with extremely cold eyes, and said something that completely broke my heart: "Zhou Nanzhi, don't make me hate you!"

The man quickly disappeared down the corridor.

……

The operating room door opened, and the doctor removed his mask, his face filled with grief: "Ms. Zhou, I'm so sorry, we did our best for your son."

"silently!"

I cried out in anguish, but I couldn't bring back my lively son.

Gu Jinhuai didn't show up on the day of my son's burial. My hopeful heart died long after my son left.

The long-quiet high school group chat suddenly bursts with messages.

Have you heard? Song Yuan is back in China, and this time she's actually planning a marriage alliance with the Gu family.

[I'm so envious of this perfect couple. President Gu is so domineering; he's remained chaste for the woman he loves. Now that his white moonlight is back in the country, they definitely have to celebrate properly.]

I wonder if Zhou Nanzhi will be furious when she hears this news. Everyone knows she was relentlessly pursuing him in high school, and it's been so many years, she's still throwing herself at him. Gu Jinhuai wouldn't even look at someone like her—a scheming, powerless, love-struck woman.

Those words were like sharp blades, slicing through my heart one by one. My tears had long since dried up when I left in silence. Now I feel cold and powerless all over. My stiff fingers grip the phone, and I feel dizzy. I collapse by the cemetery.

The voice murmured, "I was wrong, terribly wrong."

Perhaps it was a mistake from the very beginning. I was married to Gu Jinhuai for five years without a wedding, and no one knew about my relationship with him. Now that the real person is back, I am just a mistress who can't see the light of day.

My son is already five years old, but I still can't control his heart. Perhaps in his eyes, my son is just something I use to bind our relationship. Or perhaps, he doesn't even have a kind look for this son.

Loving someone is too tiring. Being a simp, you end up with nothing. This saying seems to describe me.

I gave a bitter smile, tears hidden in my hair. In my next life, I only want to live for myself.

I silently closed my eyes, clutching the poison in my hand. My last thought was of the day I successfully confessed my feelings; it was the happiest day of my life.

I was thinking, if I died, Gu Jinhuai wouldn't be sad, right? He might even be so relieved that he couldn't sleep for three days and three nights. With me, this roadblock and troublemaker, gone, they would be even happier.

***

When I opened my eyes again, I met a pair of icy eyes. The man's tone was indifferent, with a hint of impatience: "Get out of the way!"

I froze for a moment, memories of my past life flooding back. I stared blankly at the man in front of me, dressed in a high school uniform, his jacket casually draped over his shoulders, his indifferent expression carrying a hint of displeasure.

Gu Jinhuai, I looked around and the familiar scenery around me made me feel dizzy. I've heard that when a person is on the verge of death, their life will flash before their eyes like a revolving lantern.

The man opposite me looked at me coldly and walked straight past me. I instinctively stepped back, bumping my lower back on the corner of the table and wincing in pain. The man in front of me paused slightly but did not stop and walked away.

"Jin Huai!"

Song Yuan glared at me, then quickly chased after me.

The excruciating pain in my lower back prevented me from uttering a sound as I watched the two of them leave one after the other. I gave a bitter smile. In truth, feelings are traceable, and she shouldn't have forced it.

Noticing the disgusted looks around me, I realized that I had been reborn, reborn back to a month before the college entrance examination.

I easily returned to my seat, while my friend Gu Zi, who was sitting in the front row, looked at me with a worried expression.

"Nanzhi, are you alright? My brother is just like that, cold and aloof. Don't take it to heart. I'll have a good talk with him later."

Today is the tenth time I've failed to confess my feelings to Gu Jinhuai, and I've become the laughingstock of the whole class.

"I am fine."

Gu Huaijin transferred to the class in the senior year. On the first day he arrived, she learned that Gu Huaijin and Song Yuan were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together since they were little. It was said that the reason he came to the honors class was to take better care of Song Yuan.

Otherwise, with his excellent grades, he could have easily been admitted to university without taking the entrance exam and could have stayed at home.

The two of them didn't return all morning, until the end of class. I didn't care, but the heart that had once been so tender still ached.

At noon, as I watched people gradually heading to the cafeteria for lunch, I reached into my pocket and found only ten yuan on my person. I was pitifully poor.

I stood at the doorway, lost in thought.

"Nanzhi, why didn't you wait for me?"

Gu Zi pretended to be angry.

In my past life, Gu Zi went to great lengths to bring me and her brother together, but even with her help, Gu Jinhuai still didn't like it and often warned me to stay away from Gu Zi.

"go in."

Gu Zi knew about my family situation. After all, when everyone was laughing at me for coming from the mountains, Gu Zi was the only one in the class who stood up for me.

My liking for Gu Jinhuai wasn't a passing fancy, but rather because of something he said that led to me receiving financial assistance from the Gu family for three consecutive years. I was very grateful, and no one knew how much I valued my studies.

In addition, being young and impetuous, I was easily captivated by her appearance. I took a deep breath and was pulled into the cafeteria by Gu Zi.

As soon as they entered, they saw Song Yuan intimately linking arms with Gu Huaijin.

I quickly covered Gu Zi's mouth before she could explode.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat."

Gu Zi looked at her calm expression, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

I brushed past Gu Jinhuai without my eyes lingering on him, but I could feel his intense gaze pressing against my back, making me uncomfortable.

I pulled Gu Zi along quickly to get our food in line, but we found that most of the seats were taken by students. Gu Zi, with her sharp eyes, quickly spotted an empty seat not far away and pulled me over there.

"Nanzhi, let's sit here."

Looking up at Gu Jinhuai sitting opposite me, my breath caught in my throat, my whole body stiffened, and memories from my past life flooded my mind, telling of his ruthlessness.

"Nanzhi, sit down quickly."

I glanced around and saw that all the other seats were indeed full. Soon, I noticed several unfriendly gazes around me, all from Song Yuan's clique in the class.

I sat down calmly, buried my head in my food, and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, but I could still feel the man across from me scrutinizing me.

I thought it was just a meal, so I quickly rummaged through the food on my plate.

Just when I was worried, my choking happened. Halfway through my meal, Gu Zi, who was sitting next to me, patted my back anxiously.

"Nanzhi, are you alright? Have some water."

Gu Zi handed me a bottle of mineral water. I was about to choke, but without thinking, I tilted my head back and drank it down.

When I finally calmed down, I realized that the bottled water belonged to Gu Jinhuai. I glanced at Gu Zi, who was winking at me, and felt utterly exhausted.

I looked up and met the man's cold eyes with an apologetic expression: "I'll give you a new bottle later. I'm also very sorry for the disturbance and trouble I've caused you during this time. Don't worry, it won't happen again."

After calmly finishing my words, I picked up my tray and left.